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South Ruislip Christian Fellowship - a Christian fellowship with a purpose of serving the South Ruislip community.

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Between Ourselves

December '08

This week a muslim Doctor will be jailed for life after trying with an accomplice to kill hundreds of people. Two cars packed with gas canisters, petrol and two-inch nails were left in London. One car was outside a nightclub the other near a bus stop where people who had been enjoying a night out were waiting to catch the night bus.

The cars failed to explode. Various commentators have put it down to good fortune or good luck. I know it was Gods mercy that saved those Londoners in the early hours of June 29 last year. The reason I know this is I was at our Church Prayer meeting the evening before. One of the nicest Christians you could hope to meet was praying that night for Gods mercy. The prayer seemed to transcend the other issues of the evening, it seemed too general to tie in with our own church or any individual known to us and yet we were praying into a situation less than twenty miles from our church.

Our Church Prayer meeting is far more important than we realize. Let’s try and get there more often next year.

November '08

It always amazes me how God uses ordinary Sundays at church to help and encourage us.

One Sunday back in August I went along knowing only too well that the next morning I was due in at hospital for one of those tests that you end up having when the earlier treatments do not appear to be working.

Anyway, that Sunday we sang Matt Redman's 'Blessed be Your Name'. As we were singing the song the words took on a wonderful new meaning for me, and I was not only blessed but prepared for the next day.

Paul in his letter to the Philippians talks about the peace of God which transcends all understanding guarding their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Let's pray for one another that we know the peace of God in our lives.

October '08

Well, at last the shoe boxes for Samaritan's Purse are in and are now on their way to some very poor, but greatly loved children.

God loves those children just like He loves us - unconditionally.

By sending Christmas gifts to there children our church is bringing glory to God. The children will thank God many times for their presents, as they grow older many may well decide to follow Jesus, partly as a result of receiving a Christmas shoebox full of gifts.

At the beginning of Matthew chapter 6, Jesus talks about giving in secret and our Father's reward to those who do so. Let's pray for our church members who have taken part in the shoebox appeal, that they will realise when God is rewarding them and then thank Him just as much as the children with their Christmas shoeboxes.

September '08

Gregory of Nyssa has a wonderful passage on prayer in one of his sermons on the Lord's prayer:

The effect of prayer is union with God, and if someone is with God he is separated from the enemy.

Through prayer we guard our chastity, control our temper and rid ourselves of vanity. It makes us forget injuries, overcomes envy, defeats injustice and makes amends for sin. Through prayer we obtain physical wellbeing, a happy home and a strong well-ordered society. Prayer is the seal of virginity and a pledge of faithfulness in marriage. It shields the wayfarer, protects the sleeper, and gives courage to those who keep vigil.

It will refresh you when you are weary and comfort you when you are sorrowful. Prayer is the delight of the joyful as well as the solace of the afflicted.

Prayer is intimacy with God and contemplation of the invisible. Prayer is the enjoyment of things present and the substance of the things to come.

July '08

I have noticed that more than £100 million has been wiped off the market value of Trinity Mirror, the publisher of the Daily Mirror and the Sunday Mirror.

It is blaming a sharp downturn in advertising and circulation revenues. I wonder if its casual attitude to blasphemy has anything to do with it.

I can remember writing to the editor of the Daily Mirror pointing out that a character in a cartoon was using the name of Jesus like a swear word; of course, they did not reply.

Perhaps they thought upsetting one reader did not really matter. What they should have been thinking about is what happens when you upset God!

At the name of Jesus
Every knee shall bow
Every tongue confess Him
King of Glory now:
'Tis the Father's pleasure
We should call Him Lord,
Who from the beginning
Was the mighty word.
Caroline Marie Noel

Jesus, the name I love so well,
The name I love to hear!
No saint on earth its worth can tell
No heart conceive how dear!
Frederick Whitefield

Jesus is the name we treasure,
Name beyond what words can tell;
Name of gladness, name of pleasure,
Ear and heart delighting well;
Name of sweetness passing measure,
Saving us from sin and hell.
John Mason Neale

 

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May '08

The other day at church a few people had a chance to give their testimonies. Hearing how God has and is working in their lives was very encouraging.

Our lives are saturated with God's grace. He loves us, comforts us, helps us, teaches us and changes us to become more like Jesus.

1 John 3: 1
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God.

Romans 8: 28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Romans 8: 38
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

April '08

Two teams from American and Japanese corporations have a boat race. On the big day the Japanese wim by a mile and the discouraged Americans hire a consulting firm to investigate the problem. The findings are that the Japanese team had eight people rowing and one person steering, while the American team had one person rowing and eight people steering. Based on these results the American team is completely reorganised to include four steering managers, three area steering managers, and a new performance review system for the person rowing the boat to provide work incentive. The following year the Japanese win again, so the Americans lay off the rower for poor performance and give the managers a bonus for discovering the problem.

Seriously though, it is all happening at the moment: food price increases, energy price increases, tax payers money helping out the banks, low paid workers having their tax rate doubled. Trust is in retreat in the face of greed and incompetence.

St. Ignatius of Loyola wrote a prayer for trust in Jesus:

O Christ Jesus,
When all is darkness
and we feel our weakness and helplessness,
give us the sense of Your presence,
Your love, and Your strength.
Help us to have perfect love
and strengthening power
so that nothing may frighten or worry us.
For living close to You
we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose, Your will through all things

March '08

Well, it is not long to Easter now and perhaps it is a good time to have a look at John 3: 16.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

It is very easy during the busy-ness of life and church to forget how much God loves us.

A few years ago my son was taken ill and had to be rushed to hospital. My wife was in the ambulance with him and I followed behind in the car. I can remember thinking if I could swap places with him or somehow change things I would. Fortunately, everything turned out alright and we all came home later in the evening.

Now try and imagine what it was like for God, watching Jesus being spat at, hit, flogged, stripped and forced to wear a crown of thorns, laughed at, spat at again and then hit on the head before He was led away to be crucified.

God could have stopped it, but He loved us so much He allowed Jesus to die for us.

February '08

I think we have been enjoying a touch of early Spring at the moment. The blossom's out on some of the trees and I have even seen some daffodils out.

Thinking about plants, a little boy asked a gardener, "What do you put on your rhubarb?" "Well, usually rotted horse manure", replied the gardener. "We have custard", said the little boy.

Anyway, it felt a bit spring-like here at church the other Sunday, seeing new faces in amongst the regulars. What a great encouragement it is when people choose to worship Jesus with us. As we meet together it is nice to think that the Holy Spirit is creating an atmosphere or environment where other believers in Jesus would choose to come and grow.

We often sing about wanting to see Jesus lifted high: together we can see more of Jesus and also make Him clearer to the people in South Ruislip.

January '08 - Breakfast

January for me will always be associated with breakfast.

Years ago at church, David Cox always got his family to prepare this enormous breakfast for his youth group in January.

The best breakfasts are shared, whether at home, or work, or on holiday.

Jesus knew a thing or two about breakfast. Imagine the surprise and delight of the disciples when they had a chance to have breakfast with Jesus.

Gary Lewington.

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